Mat



April 29, 1941. AN 2,240,240

7.95311 .Bradman Patented Apr. 29, 1941 UNITED STATES PAT-ENT OFFICE MAT Oscar Broekman, Louisville, Ky.

Application April 1, 1940, serial No. 227,297

(Cl. 15J-23s) 1 Claim.

This invention pertains to mat construction and is especially adapted to floor mats and door mats which present a roughened surface, for cleaning shoes.

Among the objects of the invention it is one purpose to produce a mat of rugged and wear resisting construction at a low cost, which mat is adapted to be produced with ornamentation in a diversity of attractive designs.

The object of the invention is attained by joining strip material in a manner to provide spaces between strips which results in an open work mat. The strips are oppositely disposed and there is a specific disposition of the strips relative to each other to produce a self-sustaining mat which requires no frame work or border structure to hold it together.

A specic strip disposition which accomplishes the desired purpose comprises long strips, preferably disposed parallel to each other, spaced apart and extending throughout the mat area in one direction. These long strips are joined by shorter transverse strips disposed in juxtaposed rows with each transverse strip extending across the width of adjacent longitudinal strips and spanning the space therebetween. The strips in adjacent rows join alternately adjacent longitudinal strips whereby the shorter strips are positioned in staggered relationship to each other.

The mat so constructed provides a base structure comprising the long strips which render the mat self-sustaining. The base strips rest on the floor leaving the area of shorter strips as an exposed surface and with open work between on which the shoes can be scraped. The several shorter strips can comprise material of different colors and the different colors can be selected and so positioned in the surface of the mat to produce a diversity of designs.

The mat, with the strips disposed in the manner explained, provides open work between the shorter strips which facilitates cleaning shoes when the mat is walked on or when the feet are rubbed across the surface of the mat. In furtherancel of the purpose of using the mat as a shoe cleaner it is preferred that the several strips, the long and short strips being of like dimensions except for length, present opposite smooth and roughened surfaces. The base and face strips are joined with their smooth surfaces in contact with each other leaving the roughened surfaces on the outside to form the bottom and top surfaces of the mat. The roughened surface on the bottom of the mat functions to cause the mat to cling to the oor and enables the mat to more readily hold the desired position on the floor. The roughened top surface functions to clean the shoes more thoroughly.

The mat of the construction described is selfsustaining and consists only of the longer and shorter strips disposed transversely to each other. No supporting frame work is required and no border construction is necessary to hold the mat as a unitary structure. Thus a mat of low cost is available in the practice of my invention which mat is sufficient for the purpose for which it is intended and which affords a diversity of ornamental eifects.

This being my invention, stated in general terms, attention is now directed to the drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the mat of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view; and

Figure 3 is a perspective View showing one portion of the mat.

As viewed in the drawing, there is noted the longitudinal strips 5, thosel being on the face of the view of Figure 2, and they extend throughout the mat area in the direction of their disposition. The strips 5 are spaced apart as shown and are joined by strips 6 disposed at right angles to the strips 5. The strips 6 are short and extend across the width of two adjacent strips 5, including the gap between strips, as best seen in Figure 1. The strips 6 are joined to the strips 5 in any suitable manner, as for instance by cementing. In the practice of -the invention, the strips 5 and 5 are preferably constructed of molded rubber and the strips 5 and 6 can, therefore, be joined by any suitable rubber cement.

Thel strips 6 are arranged in rows juxtaposed, with strips in adjacent rows joining alternating adjacent strips 5. This disposes the strips 5 in staggered relationship, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1.

In the preferred practice of the invention, the strips 5 are spaced apart the width of the strips. The strips 6 and 5 are preferably constructed with like cross sectional dimensions, differing only n in their length dimensions. 'I'his permits all strips to be manufactured by the same process,

and with the same mould, and cut to length. In

this manner, the strips being of uniform construction, they can be produced at a low cost and the disposition of the respective strips 5 and 5 in the mat provides openings which extend through the thickness of the mat, as shown at 1, which openings are square.

By making the strips of a diversity of colors and arranging the strips 6 in the mat according to color, a number of pleasing and attractive designs can be produced.

It will be noted that the arrangement of strips 6 will result in places at the edges where the lower strips 5 are exposed. These' can be lled in with strip material out square, these squares 8 being disposed between alternate strips E along the side edges of the mat.

The strip material is preferably produced with opposite faces respectively smooth and roughened, the roughened surface, for example, being corrugated as shown. In this manner of construction, the strips 5 and l5V and the strips 5 with the pieces 8 can be joined with their smooth surfaces face to face. The bottom surface of the mat, as best illustrated in Figure 2, in addition to the break in the surface of contact with the iioor in the roughened areas will cause the mat to cling to the noor and hold its position much better. The roughened surface of the strips 6 will be advantageous on the top surface of the mat for the purpose of cleaning shoes.

The invention having thus been presented in detail, its scope is determined by the accompanying claim.

What I claim is:

A mat construction comprising iiexible strip material, a plurality of longitudinal strips spaced apart and disposed the full extent of the mat area in one direction, transverse strips joining the longitudinal strips, and disposed in rows, each transverse strip extending across the width of adjacent long strips and spanning the space therebetween, the rows of transverse strips being juxtaposed with the strips of adjacent rows respectively joining the alternately adjacent long strips.

OSCAR BROCKMAN. 

